Manufacturing Employment Down by 6,000 in March

Manufacturing employment was down 6,000 jobs in March, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is the second month in a row that the industry has seen little change in employment. In the 12 months prior to February, manufacturing had added an average of 22,000 jobs per month.

Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 196,000 in March, with notable gains in health care and in professional and technical services. Employment growth averaged 180,000 per month in the first quarter of 2019, compared with 223,000 per month in 2018.

The unemployment rate remained at 3.8% in March, and the number of unemployed persons was essentially unchanged at 6.2 million. The unemployment rate was unchanged at 3.8%.